🇫🇷 France · Tier A

Moving to Paris

Almost every Paris landlord wants a garant: a French-resident guarantor earning around three times the rent who will cover you if you default. Newcomers rarely have one, and this — not supply — is what ends most searches. There are established alternatives, and knowing which one you qualify for before you view changes the whole experience.

Get matched in Paris What it costs

City tier: Tier A; major hubs
Full home search: $899; Starter, flat fee
Search + setup: $1,900; Premium, flat fee
Check one listing: $49; Verify, per visit

Where to live

Neighbourhoods in Paris

Your Insidoor walks these before they shortlist anything, and will tell you which one actually fits how you live.

11th (Oberkampf, Bastille)

Young professionals

The most consistently popular arrondissement for new arrivals. Lively, central, well connected.

10th (Canal Saint-Martin)

Couples, creatives

Two big stations, canal-side, and cheaper than the 3rd or 4th for a similar feel.

15th

Families, quieter movers

Large, residential and genuinely good value for somewhere entirely inside the Périphérique.

Montreuil & Pantin

Value seekers

Just outside the city on lines 9 and 5, with rents that reflect the boundary rather than the distance.

What it costs to rent

Indicative rents

Monthly charges comprises — service charges usually included, electricity not. Furnished lets are common and cost more.

Two-room (T2), central€1,400 – €2,000

Studio, central€900 – €1,300

Studio, outer arrondissements€750 – €1,000

Indicative only, last checked 2 September 2026. Rents move; your Insidoor confirms what the market is actually doing before you commit to anything.

What catches people out

The Paris traps

Every market has its own way of costing newcomers money. These are the ones worth knowing before you start.

The keys in the post

An owner posted abroad, a photogenic flat, and a deposit requested by transfer. It is the most common fraud in the French market and it targets people applying from another country.

Agency fees above the cap

Tenant-paid agency fees are capped by law, per square metre, and vary by zone. A fee quoted as a percentage of annual rent is a red flag.

Furnished versus unfurnished

An unfurnished lease runs three years and is hard for a landlord to end; a furnished one runs a year. The shorter term is often sold as a convenience — it is also less protection.

After the keys

The admin that follows a move

On Premium, your Insidoor does this with you rather than sending you a checklist. Timing in Paris: Four to six weeks. The dossier takes longer than the viewing list.

Sort the guarantor before you view

Visale is a free state-backed guarantee that many newcomers qualify for; private services charge a percentage. Either is accepted far more widely than 'I will pay a year up front'.

Home insurance is mandatory

You must produce an attestation d'assurance habitation at signing. It is inexpensive and can be arranged online in minutes.

Do the état des lieux properly

The inventory at move-in decides your deposit at move-out. Photograph everything, note every mark, and keep your copy.

Electricity and internet

EDF or any alternative supplier for power. Internet installation in older buildings can take several weeks — start it the day you sign.

Language. French for leases, agencies and utilities. English varies by arrondissement. Your Insidoor works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.

Pricing for Paris